JAMES, THE LORD’S

BROTHERLesson 1

KEY TEXT

“ ‘You are My friends if you do whatever I command you’ ”

John 15:14

We, today, are a long way from the early days of the Christian church, both time wise and culturally.

Thus, we have little idea of what it was like to belong to the fledgling Christian movement at a time when many congregations met in

homes, and most believers were Jews persecuted by their fellow Israelites.

The letter of James gives us one of the earliest glimpses of Jewish Christianity before it disappeared in the fog of Jewish-Christian controversies and before the marginalization of the Jews by the predominantly Gentile church of the second century and beyond.

Unlike many of the epistles, it does not seem that some crisis or urgent need in a local church impelled James to write this epistle. Rather, it is written to the broader Christian community “scattered abroad” (James 1:1).

Before we dive into his letter, however, this week we want to try to learn what we can about the author himself. Some of the questions we’ll address are: Who was James? What was his background? What had been his relationship to Jesus? And what position did he hold in the church?

1. James, the Brother of Jesus

The author of this letter must have been well known in the church because there is no more specific information in this letter as to who he is other than what we find in James 1:1: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”

THE AUTHOR OF THE EPISTLE OF JAMES“James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…” (James 1:1)

There are four persons named James in the New Testament:

1. James, son of Zebedee. Mark 3:17. He was one of the twelve apostles. He was

beheaded in 44 AD. (Acts 12:2). He died too soon to be the author of this epistle.

2. James, son of Alphaeus. Mark 3:18. He was one of the twelve apostles. He was called

“the Less” (Mr. 15:40; Mt. 27:56). There is nothing documented on him after Pentecost.

3. James, father of Jude Thaddeus. Luke 6:16. There is no proof of him being a believer.

4. James, Jesus’ older brother. Mark 6:3. He didn’t believe in Jesus at first (Jn. 7:5), but he

became a pillar in the church in Jerusalem (Gal. 2:9). He wrote this epistle.

JAMES, JESUS’ BROTHER“For even His brothers did not believe in Him.” (John 7:5)

When Jesus began His ministry, His brothers thought He was crazy (Mr. 3:21). Nevertheless, they accepted Him as their Savior after His death and resurrection (Acts 1:14)

Jesus met James alone after His resurrection (1Co. 15:7)

When Paul came to Jerusalem for the first time after his conversion, he just met Peter and James. James was already considered an apostle (Gal. 1:19)

James also presided over the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15). He was the main of the three early “pillars” of Christianism: “James, Cephas [Peter] and John.” (Gal. 2:9)

According to Flavius Josephus, James was stoned in 62 AD. The high priest Ananias ordered his stoning (Antiquities of the Jews, xx.9.1)

“What a support Christ would have found in His earthly relatives if they had believed in Him as one from heaven, and had co-operated with Him in doing the work of God! Their unbelief cast a shadow over the earthly life of Jesus. It was a part of the bitterness of that cup of woe which He drained for us…

They often saw Him full of grief; but instead of comforting Him, their spirit and words only wounded His heart. His sensitive nature was tortured, His motives were misunderstood, His work was uncomprehended…

Those who are called to suffer for Christ’s sake, who have to endure misapprehension and distrust, even in their own home, may find comfort in the thought that Jesus has endured the same.”

E.G.W. (The Desire of Ages, cp. 33, pg. 325-327)

THE ADDRESSEES OF THE EPISTLE“James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.” (James 1:1)

“James clearly identifies himself and his intended readers as Jews. He refers, for instance, to Abraham as “our father” (ch. 2:21) and to the “assembly [literally, “synagogue”]” (v. 2), the usual Jewish place for religious assembly (see Vol. V, pp. 56, 57). But the writer and the readers to whom the epistle was originally addressed were also Christians, as his repeated references to Jesus Christ as “Lord” make evident (see chs. 1:1, 7, 12; 2:1; 5:7, 11). Thus, in writing to the “twelve tribes” scattered abroad, James is addressing Jewish Christians living here and there throughout the Roman world (cf. 1 Peter 1:1)” (SDA Bible Commentary, on James 1:1)

THE MESSAGE IN THE EPISTLE: FAITH AND WORKS“You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” (James 2:24)

Martin Luther mistakenly thought that James taught the salvation by works. He said, “St. James' Epistle is a perfect straw-epistle”, for “it has in it nothing of an evangelic kind.” (German translation of the New Testament, preface to the book of James, 1522)

James wrote about how we can live as Christians, not how we can become one. He explains what being a true believer involves, and states that we should always do what we say.

Other reformers (like the Wesley brothers) introduced the idea of the importance of holiness in the Christian life later. They brought the epistle of James back to its original message.

THE MESSAGE IN THE EPISTLE: THE GOSPEL OF JESUS

“Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation.” (James 1:9)

Maybe one of the greatest lessons James learnt from Jesus was “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Mt. 11:29). He introduced himself as “a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” and he emphasized humbleness in his epistle.

James didn’t believe in Jesus at first. Nevertheless, everything he heard from Him during his childhood and youth stroke deep in his heart.

THE MESSAGE IN THE EPISTLE: THE GOSPEL OF JESUS

We can find some teachings of Jesus explained by Jams in his epistle.

THE EPISTLE OF JAMES

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)

“Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine

bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”

(James 3:12)

“There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.

Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:12)

JAMES, THE BROTHER OF JESUS

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